Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are a telephony technology that can read a combination of touch-tone and voice input provided by a remote user. An IVR system gives users the ability to access a database of information via phone. A typical IVR system has several menus of prerecorded options that the caller can choose from. While many choices are as basic as choosing a number, some options may require the caller to speak detailed information such as his/her name and/or account number. This input is received by the IVR system and is used to access the appropriate information in the database. For example, a bank may have an IVR system that allows members to call in and check their balance or recent transactions. Credit card companies and stock brokerage firms also use IVR systems to allow users to access information from their account. The technology can also be used for other purposes such as phone surveys, checking movie times, call center forwarding and the like.
A contact center is a system which a person can communicate with to receive information. Such communication can include, but is not limited to, telephone calls, Internet access, email, and FAX. A contact center can include one or more interactive voice response (IVR) systems. The one or more IVRs provide automatic branching voice queries to which the caller responds with button pushes on a telephone keypad or with voice responses on a telephone. The contact center may be provided having only the one or more IVR systems, or alternatively, the contact center may be provided having human agents. For example, at the end of the IVR branching voice queries, the caller can be directed to press zero to speak to an agent. In some environments the use of a contact center by a customer is referred to as self-service.